


it's a sure thing

by honokas



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Other, also lots of gender headcanons. a Lot, forced-ish nicomaki at first but eventual rinmaki dw, mundane au in which rin is a broke college student + everything goes to shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-17
Updated: 2015-08-17
Packaged: 2018-04-15 04:28:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4592865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honokas/pseuds/honokas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>because a subway station has never been so romantic, and because such a coldhearted person has never been so downright angelic. | rinmaki, au. side pairs include kotoumi and nozoeli. more info on the notes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	it's a sure thing

**Author's Note:**

> i'd like to include a shoutout to a whole lot of people. first rae, the maki to my rin. then to the Filthy Sinners (TM) aka toby, corrin, naminé, and robin. also to hannah and kaiti, the biggest meme and my actual mom, respectively. thanks for giving me positive feedback on the first revision of... whatever this thing is. 
> 
> before we begin, like you read in the additional tags, there's at least one headcanon for each character here. as for right now, i'll just list the ones for the characters that appear in this chapter.
> 
> -rin is a demisexual transboy.  
> -maki is an asexual nonbinary kid.  
> -nozomi is a homoromantic/sexual bigender person, feminine-presenting.  
> -nico is a pansexual demigirl.
> 
> with that out of the way, let's go!

**I**

  
Tattered sneakers dance right on the yellow line at the very edge of the boardwalk as their owner intently glances at the tunnel.

The subway’s supposed to pass by every two minutes, and a glance at his sticker-covered phone tells him it’s been six minutes, which meant it was… Uh… How much..? Oh! Right. It means it’s four minutes late already. Can you believe it? He certainly can’t.

His foot wanders precariously off the edge, and he’s close to losing his footing, but when you’ve spent approximately 2/5 (Or something like that; math isn’t his forté, but the point remains) of your life in the subway station, you sort of get used to it. This is further proved by everyone surrounding him who pays no mind– See? When you live like this, it’s entirely normal.

Or so he thinks until someone brusquely takes him by the wrist and yanks him back.

 

**II**

 

“Hey, what are you doing? Trying to get yourself killed? Because _it’s a sure thing_ if you keep doing that.”

Her voice is somewhat angry and… Surprisingly pleasant to listen to. She has red hair that looks well-maintained and is wearing clothing that simply **doesn’t** belong in this shitty, run-down place. She’s even wearing designer sunglasses by _what’s-his-name_ , and Hoshizora can’t help but wonder what someone like her is doing here, but hey, that’s none of his business.

“Not really… Though I guess I wasn’t being careful!” He replies, lips stretching to show off a grin composed of crooked teeth and a bit of meat stuck between two of them. He’d forgotten to brush his teeth that morning, but it was okay because breath mints always do the trick, right? 

_...Right?!_

The girl opens her mouth to speak, and it’s when she closes it once more that he notices the subway arrives, and there’s no time for anything because as soon as the door opens the war starts.

Rin forgets everything about this completely out-of-place girl and pulls his wrist away from her hold, only to run towards the quickly forming crowd. He begins elbowing people and forcing his way in, something he ends up achieving approximately 5 seconds before the doors close.

The girl also manages to get in, and once again he ends up wondering about her. She looks so… Frail and delicate. Definitely not the kind of person who’d fend for herself in the packed subway of Tokyo. If anything, she looks more like those snobby-ass girls from the crappy dramas Kayo-chin enjoys so much.

Speaking of Kayo-chin, it was going to be their birthday soon! He should think about what to give her… Maybe idol merch would be good? He doesn’t have that much money saved up, but maybe if he works overtime he can gather enough to get them a nice gift; she deserves it, really. Of which idol, though…? Maybe of Honocchi or Kotorin? What about Um–

It’s a tug on the strap of his messenger bag what pulls him out of his thoughts, and suddenly he’s met by a pair of bright purple eyes that look like… those of a dead fish. Not a very romantic description, per se, but he isn’t about to metaphorically compare them to an obscure yet gorgeous and full of hidden beauty cemetery somewhere in the outskirts of France or some shit.

After a few (very embarrassing) seconds of awkwardly staring he realises it’s the girl from earlier, and he takes a step back– which leads to bumping into someone, and in turn a mumbled apology from him –before he can look at her again. “Hm?”

“Could you please tell me where… Umm…” She pulls out a paper scrap from her sweater’s pocket, which she then hands to Rin. ‘Taiyou Ramen’, it reads, and it’s evident he just _knows_ judging by the ridiculous grin that spreads out across his face.

“That’s actually where Rin works at, nyaa! Why do ya wanna get there?”

“…None of your business.” She speaks, her eyebrows simultaneously knitting together in a gesture of annoyance. Talk about rude. She must see the saddened expression Rin puts on, because she then gives this little resigned sigh and adds, “I’m going to meet my fiancé there.”

She seems upset at the mention of her spouse-to-be, but Rin decides on not questioning it, given that she already seems cranky enough as it is and he wouldn’t like to make that worse. “I’m actually going there now; my shift’s about to start!” He tells her, only to then look out the window and– Shit. He’d missed the stop. Well… “Rin wasn’t paying attention and we kind of just missed the stop, so let’s get off on the next one!” It’s evident this annoys her, but for some reason she keeps any complaints from vocalising itselves and instead resorts to frowning.

The subway stops, and once again, the girl takes him by the wrist and pulls him outside rather quickly. Talk about unexpected; she didn’t look like she weighed more than him, yet seemed to be pretty strong. Definitely food for thought.

 

**III**

 

Now they’re ~~relatively~~  safe at the station, and the girl brushes imaginary dust off her clothes and glances around. Her gaze finally settles on Hoshizora, who simply scratches the back of his head and points towards the stairs.

“And what’s your name, anyway?” She asks as they walk, voice mixing well with the click-clacks her high heels make upon meeting the floor. She’s looking at him now, straight at him, and when she meets his eyes he can’t stop his face from heating up a little. Now, that's kind of embarrasing…

He dismisses this, however, and in a matter of seconds returns to his usual cheerful persona. “Ho-shi-zo-ra! Hoshizora Rin! Nice to meet you!” His voice is that of a sing-song, happy and warm and all kinds of _him_.

The redhead twirls a lock of her hair, either in annoyance or out of habit, most likely both, and then says, “…I’m Nishikino Maki.” She says, voice kind of but not fully deadpan, eyes looking mildly sparkly as she speaks.

“I gotcha, nyaa! Nice to meetcha!” He says, and gives her a little sailor-esque salute. This time, he _swears_ on the ¥10 coin sitting at the bottom of his pocket that he saw her smile, even if just for half a second.

They continue walking, and as Rin holds onto the rusted banister, Maki grimaces and mumbles something about how she’d rather trip and crack her skull open rather than hold onto that _infected_ and _completely and utterly disgusting_ thing, and he somehow bites back a comment about how she really needs to chill.

 

**IV**

 

Tokyo in the afternoon is… pretty pleasant to watch, Rin thinks, as they emerge from the subway station and out into a plaza. It’s entirely crowded, overflowing, even; it’s also the biggest city he’s seen and he’s positively overwhelmed and all kinds of terrified by how large it all is– But here’s where he belongs. It’s kind of a gut feeling, you know? He recalls being about thirteen or fourteen (it’s something he can’t really pinpoint) the very first time he came to Tokyo. His family had come here all the way from Akiba during summer break, and it was definitely one of the very best experiences he’d had up to that point in life. Rin saw all the people, all the places, all the opportunities, and… It didn’t take much for him to decide that this is where he wanted to be. Where he _would_ be.

And he’s here now. He has for ten months and three weeks and a half, and he most certainly doesn’t regret leaving home behind to come here and make it big.

…Or as big as a half-student-half-ramen chef in the making can get, anyway.

“Okay, where do we go now?” Maki’s voice breaks him out of his reverie and takes him back to the present, and he shakes his head in hopes of getting the hamster in his head to start running again, before he finally points north.

“First, we exit the plaza and cut into that alleyway to get out into the main street. Then we just cross it, and there ya go! C'mon,” Rin begins to walk, and after a few steps he pauses, looks back at Maki, and waves at her to hurry before breaking into a slow jog.

He hears a couple hurried steps before she catches up to him, and wait, how in the hell is she jogging while wearing high heels, he thinks, but there’s no time because his shift starts in… Two minutes and a quarter, according to his phone.

“Come on! I’m going to be late!” Hoshizora tells her, distress clearly showing in his face, and for a second he chuckles at the thought that he /really/ does sound like an anime protagonist right now. But now’s not the time for that.

They reach the alleyway, and a glance behind confirms what he was expecting– That Maki would be furrowing her eyebrows, scrunching up her nose, and puckering her lips in a pout of distaste. “Nishikino-san, let’s gooooo! You don’t wanna make your _boyfriend_ wait, do ya~?” While he’s merely teasing, she doesn’t take it kindly.

Not even one bit.

“Say that again and my hand’s gonna greet your face.” She speaks, giving him the most pissed off look he’d ever seen.

Rin holds up his hands as a gesture of both surrender and self-defense, positively scared right now. “Gee, sorry, sorry. Don’t slap me! Rin’s gonna be quiet!” He looks nervous as he says this, which effectively makes her gaze soften. At least he wouldn’t be brutally murdered by a pretty girl on this shitty alleyway.

He turns around in order to keep walking, and soon enough, they come out into the street. Hoshizora then points at a quaint place in the corner, just crossing the street. “It’s right there!” He announces, and gestures for Maki to follow him as he heads towards the space for pedestrians to cross the street.  
   
He half-runs and half-hopes to not get run over, given that he didn’t even bother to glance at the streetlight, and he doesn’t know if it’s just his imagination or if he actually hears Maki call for him. Either way, he doesn’t quite care enough to turn around, and keeps going forward.

Funnily enough, the second his feet touch the pavement, a car passes by a tad bit too fast. Had he been a second slower, his head would be 10 feet up in the air.

Whatever, though, he didn’t die and that’s what matters. Time is money, and there’s not enough in his pocket to afford losing even one more second.

 

**V**

 

The second he makes it through the doors, tired and out of breath, the first thing– or rather, person –he sees is **the** Nico Yazawa, most popularly known as Nico Nico Nii, an A list idol that was beginning to make herself known worldwide. Granted, she was wearing reading glasses, a headscarf, and a coat, but who wouldn’t recognise her red eyes?

 Gee, Kayo-chin should definitely be here! Bright grin spreading across his cheeks he makes his way towards her table, not quite sure of what he wants to say.

“Nico Nico Nii! It’s- It’s you, nya!” He says, pausing in between words to breath, and leaning against a conveniently placed wall.

“The one and only!” He isn’t sure if he’s just plain out  going batshit at this point, but he thinks he heard her mumble something along the lines of “annoying little kid,” or that’s what he manages to catch, anyway.

“Could you give me your autograph? It’s almost my friend Kayo-chin’s birthday, and they’re your biggest fan, and–”

“Say no more,” Nico interrupts, holding up her index finger before opening her handbag and rifling through it for a couple seconds before producing an autographed picture of her. “I always come prepared for these situations!” The idol hands Rin the picture, and does her signature gesture with her other hand.

“Whoa, thank you so much! This was totally a lucky break!” He smiles, showing off his teeth, before asking, “Has anyone taken your order? I’m a waiter, so–”

“I’m… Waiting for someone. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to order.”

“I’ve gotcha! Again, thank you!”

 

**VI**

 

Rin exits the staff room, now wearing an apron, and takes his position behind the counter. “G'afternoon, Nozomi-chan!” He greets his coworker, giving her a cheerful wave along with a smile. Tojo Nozomi was kind of a motherly figure to him, you see. Since he started working here Nozomi took him under her wing, teaching him the dos and don'ts of living in Tokyo. She taught him everything from the subway stops to the shops with the best sales, something for which he was eternally grateful. Besides, her datemate Eli had also been kind to him, and the three of them often went out together.

“How’s it going today?” Nozomi asks, showing him a kind smile as she wipes the counter.

“The usual. Almost got run over when crossing main,” He answers, glancing off to the side because he simply doesn’t to see _that one look_  she's bound to shoot at him.

He swears he can see her shake her head when she says, “You never really learn, do you, Rincchi?”

Rin replies with a sheepish laugh before saying, “Hey, in Rin’s defense, Rin didn’t want to endure another one of boss’ lectures for the umpteenth time for being late. Besiiiiides,” He drawls as he leans an arm on the counter, “If I got ran over, they’d have to pay me compensation. It’s a win-win situation.” And here’s where you see that being a broke college student is totally taking its toll on him. “And anyway, Rin also got Nico Nico Nii’s autograph PLUS met a cute girl at the subway, nyaa! She’s waaaay out of my league, but hey, it’s not like I’m ever seeing her again.”

“Kind of unbelievable that Yazawa Nico herself would come here, huh?” Nozomi replies, afterwards allowing a gracious laugh to accompany her words. “And it doesn’t look like she’s having a bad time. Nishikino Maki over there is keeping her some good company~”

Wait. Nishikino…? Wasn’t that–-

’ _…I’m Nishikino Maki._ ’

It definitely was…! A glance to the corner of the restaurant confirms this; the two are sitting at the same table, seeming to be really into whatever conversation they were having. Didn’t Maki say she was gonna meet her fiancé here…? Besides, how does Nozomi know her name?

“Nozomi-chan, who’s Nishikino-san?”

“A popular acapella singer, of course! My dear Eli-chi often listens to her songs. She’s also a classical musician!” His coworker intently glances at both of them, before declaring, “Those two make kind of an odd pair, but I guess it could work. _Maybe_.”

It’s then that Nico raises her hand, before calling, “Waiter? We’re ready to order.”


End file.
